It was a close one. We managed to just survive getting mauled to death by man eatting mad cows. i shall never forget the look in there eyes. That was only the beginning. After we a few pitches up the deadly north face a freak midwest electric ice storm blew in. we had to bivy for like 3 and a half mins before pushing onto the summit. the winds were at a roaring 5 miles an hour. we were almost blown off except hotoven was able to build an anchor on the the metal sunflower sculpture. once on top there was a rogue cow looking for trouble and flying bugs that tried to drain us of our blood and our lives. oh mt. sunflower, i shall never forget thee. some of the most scenic views our eyes have ever gazed upon.

Stopped by on my way home from Colorado. Beautiful day for midwinter. 50 degree weather and sun. I found the open grassland of this highpoint in complete contrast to the Rocky Mountains but quite beautiful.

After flying into Denver, we detoured east to visit the Kansas highpoint before heading back west to Leadville and Mount Elbert. It looked like some deer had bedded down the night before in the tall grass around the monument, and some cows had made a special effort to poop near the picnic table. HP23

Believe it or not but of my 13 HPs this might be about my 5th favorite or so. Not because there were any lofty views but I really enjoyed the long views over the sloping land. The isolation is the best part. If you're still and listen you can only hear the wind. So relaxing. The surrounding area isn't as flat as people make it sound. If you take the approach road from the south it's a hilly up & down drive until just before you reach the HP.

On the way to Colorado we took a detour from I70 to hit the Kansas high point. Nice day, sunny and breezy. Had some lunch and chatted with ham radio enthusiasts as they set up camp to talk to climbers hitting the nearby 14ers.

After a stiff 10m hike to the top of this lofty summit, we summitted around 9AM MST and spent 20 minutes enjoying the summit register, quirky sunflower monument, and the vast, expansive views of the Great Plains. A unique beauty for sure.

While moving from Chicago to Seattle, we drove across the county and stopped here as our two-plus year blitz of state highpoints drew to a close. It was our 29th state highpoint in 27 months. Our move from United Air Lines to Boeing marked the end of our quick and cheap travel around the US and thus the continuation of the project was at a pace of more like 1 per year rather than one per month. I completed my 49 state high points. in June, 2009.

The top of Kansas was a more magical place than I could have imagined. There may not have been a wizard, but it definitely felt like the land of Oz. I was off the beaten path, but a beautiful place to see with my beautiful family.